The Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade) has demolished several shanties and illegal structures built under high-tension cables at Mgbuka Obosi Market in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The enforcement exercise, carried out on Monday, aimed to sanitize the area and discourage traders and developers from operating within restricted power line corridors due to safety risks.
Speaking during the exercise, the Managing Director of the OCHA Brigade, Celestine Anere, said the agency’s responsibility includes protecting lives and public infrastructure. He warned that structures under high-tension lines pose serious dangers to occupants and the public.
“Defaulters will be charged to court and compelled to pay for the cost of the workforce and equipment deployed for any demolition carried out on their illegal structures,” Anere stated.
He explained that the enforcement was not targeted at any individual or group but was designed to prevent avoidable disasters and maintain order in public spaces.
The Anambra State Government had earlier issued repeated warnings against building, trading, or erecting structures under high-tension cables and other restricted zones.
Anere urged residents to comply with the law for their own safety and that of the community.
This action follows the state government’s announcement in January that it had commenced strict enforcement of environmental laws, with fines ranging from ₦20,000 to ₦5 million for defaulters, depending on the offence.
